One of the first things I do when I get ready for a trip is sit down and write a list. Where are we going? How many days? What will we need? Will this be straight drive to a destination where you will enjoy a few days, or are you changing your surroundings every day? Where you are going can drastically change your list. Are you going on an adventure where you will be camping or will be staying in less mobile accommodations?

Here are some little tips that don’t change regardless of whether you are braving Mother Nature and all that she has to offer or if you are roughing it at a Motel/Hotel.

The first thing I always pack is my snack bin. Whether the trip is 3 hours or 12 hours, a snack bin that is readily available is a must have. My bin contains things such as bagels, chips, granola bars/snack bars, peanut butter or Nutella, fruit that doesn’t bruise easily such as apples, a small cutting board, knife, and small plastic plates. And don’t forget the kitchen towel! The snack bin is always easily accessible so that my daughter can reach it while we are driving. And it is small enough that, when we stop at a rest area, it can be brought over to a picnic bench for a longer, more relaxing stop.

One of my favourite items is my plug-in cooler. I’m not sure what I would do without my plug-in cooler. It’s incredibly handy especially if you’re not going on a major camping trip and have no need to purchase ice. The cooler is usually stocked with cream cheese, cucumber, drinks, some other fruit and vegetables and cold cuts. It is light and portable and comes inside when we do stop at a Motel. Because of its design, I have used it to double as a regular cooler when we’ve stayed in places that do not have a fridge by filling it up with ice from the establishment’s ice bin. Because of its size, any water can easily be dumped out.

If I am traveling through the US, I always bring my “Passport to the National Parks” book. When we’re looking to stop for a bit of a longer break, we usually try and find a site of interest. There are so many interesting places to stop at that we would never have found without the book. One of my favourites so far was Edgar Allan Poe’s old house. Oh and Friendship Hill in Pennsylvania (check out the Savannah Trip for details ;)).

The other item I invested in was a good GPS. Preferably, one with real traffic updates and maps for both Canada and the US. Most now come with free lifetime updates so make sure you don’t purchase one that requires you to buy maps as well. Another feature to look for is the ability to enter GPS coordinates and not just addresses. Depending on where you are going, certain trail heads are listed by their GPS coordinates due to their location. I do still have a traditional road atlas in the car. One just never knows.

Last but not least, I never keep a schedule when driving longer distances. Unless of course, we are catching a ferry or something that requires us to be at a certain place at a certain time. I usually know when I want to be on the road and almost always have my destination picked for the day but, what we do in between can change on a whim. It is those unplanned stops that have given us some of our best memories.